So (Tepeth)
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So (Tepeth) are a tribe living in the
mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have aris ...
s of mountain Moroto in the northeast part of
Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...
and North western
Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
in the Turkana region. Traditionally, the So (Tepeth) were hunters and fruit gatherers, the decline in wild animals in the region made them resort to agriculture for sustainable living between 1970 and 1980. Tepeth are believed as original occupants of Karamoja plains unfortunately the current settlers (
Karamojong people The Karamojong or Karimojong are a Nilotic peoples, Nilotic ethnic group. They are agro-pastoral herders living mainly in the north-east of Uganda. Their language is also known as Karamojong language, ngaKarimojong and is part of the Nilotic lang ...
) pushed the Tepeth up on the mountain.


Language

So (Tepeth) people speak the Soo or So language which is the Kuliak language of the Tepes people of northeastern
Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...
with only a few elderly people being able to speak it. The So or
Soo language Soo or So is the Kuliak language of the Tepes people of northeastern Uganda. The language is moribund, with most of the population of 5,000 having shifted to Karamojong, and only a few dozen elderly individuals are still able to speak Soo. Soo ...
is divided into three dialects: Tepes, Kadam (Katam), and Napak (Yog Toŋi).


Dialects

Soo dialects are spoken on the slopes of the following three mountains in east-central Uganda just to the north of
Mount Elgon Mount Elgon is an extinct shield volcano on the border of Uganda and Kenya, north of Kisumu and west of Kitale. The mountain's highest point, named "Wagagai", is located entirely within Uganda.
. *Tepes dialect (also called Tepeth), on the slopes of
Mount Moroto Mount Moroto, also Moroto Mountain (), is a mountain in the Northeastern part of Uganda. The native name for this mountain was "Moru To" (meaning "the western mountain", derived from the words "Moru" meaning mountain and "To" meaning west). It ...
in
Moroto District Moroto District is a Districts of Uganda, district in the Northern Region, Uganda, Northern Region of Uganda. The town of Moroto Town, Moroto is the site of the district headquarters. Location Moroto District is bordered by Kaabong District ...
, Uganda. It is spoken in the Kakingol, Lea, and Tapac valleys on the slopes the Mount Moroto.Beer (2009: 2) The dominant language in the area is Karimojong. Most Tepes people have assimilated both linguistically and culturally with the Karimojong people.Carlin (1993: 6) Villages include Akeme, Nabuin, and Mokora, as well as Naripo Kakole. *Kadam dialect, on the slopes of Mount Kadam in
Nakapiripirit District Nakapiripirit District is a district in Northern Uganda. Like many Ugandan districts, it is named after its 'chief town', Nakapiripirit, where the district headquarters are located. Location The district is bordered by Napak District to the nor ...
, Uganda. Villages include Nakapeliethe and Nakaapiripirit. Kadam data is primarily available in Heine (m.s.). The dominant language in the area is Pokot. According to Carlin (1993), Mount Kadam has the highest concentration of ethnic So people. *Napak dialect, on the slopes of Mount Napak in
Napak District Napak District is a district in Northern Uganda. It is named after Mount Napak, and its headquarters is at Lokitede. Location Napak District is located geographically in Northeastern Uganda, in the Karamoja sub-region, Northern Uganda. It is bor ...
, Uganda (no speakers found as of 1993). There are fewer than 60 elderly speakers of all three dialects combined.Beer (2009: 1) Carlin (1993: 2-3) notes that there are only minor differences between the Tepes and Kadam dialects, which are mutually intelligible. Kesby (1977) notes that the spread of the Karimojong, Turkana and Maasai in the 18th century resulted in the present widely scattered distribution of the "Tepes", Upale and Ik language speakers but that these were already separated from each other by Nilo-Maa languages before A.D.1000.


Location

The So (Tepeth) tribe live on the mountain ranges of mountain Moroto in the northeast part of
Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...
at
Latitude In geography, latitude is a geographic coordinate system, geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from −90° at t ...
2.5333° N, and
Longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east- west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek lett ...
34.7667° E.


Population

The local leaders of So (Tepeth) are estimated to be over 40,000 both women, children and men however the actual population still remains unclear.


Culture

The So (Tepeth) people are predominantly herdsmen practicing pastoralism on a large scale. They as well engage in subsistence agriculture and plant crops like
maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...
,
sorghum ''Sorghum bicolor'', commonly called sorghum () and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo, is a species in the Poaceae, grass genus ''Sorghum (genus), Sorghum'' cultivated for its grain. The grain i ...
,
millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most millets belong to the tribe Paniceae. Millets are important crops in the Semi-arid climate, ...
, groundnuts,
sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its sizeable, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable, which is a staple food in parts of ...
es among other crops. The So (Tepeth) people perform unique cultural dances with the participation of both men and women. The dance involves short vertical jumps without the feet fully leaving the ground.


See also

*
Karamojong People The Karamojong or Karimojong are a Nilotic peoples, Nilotic ethnic group. They are agro-pastoral herders living mainly in the north-east of Uganda. Their language is also known as Karamojong language, ngaKarimojong and is part of the Nilotic lang ...
* Ugandan Traditions * Ugandan Folklore *
Acholi People The Acholi people ( , also spelled Acoli) are a Nilotic peoples, Nilotic ethnic group of Luo peoples (also spelled Lwo), found in Magwi County in South Sudan and Northern Region, Uganda, Northern Uganda (an area commonly referred to as Acholiland ...
*
Lango People The Lango are a Nilotic peoples, Nilotic ethnic group. They live in north-central Uganda, in a region that covers the area formerly known as the Lango sub-region, Lango District until 1974, when it was split into the districts of Apac District ...


References

{{Reflist Ethnic groups in Uganda